1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to vision systems, and in particular, to a wearable vision system that is configurable by a wearer to provide both enhanced vision by displaying video information derived from camera capture information and unobstructed normal vision.
2. Background
When engaged in dangerous situations, the safety of those involved may depend on maintaining uninterrupted concentration until these situations are resolved. Some situations may initially be deemed dangerous because of obvious hazards such as fire, natural forces such as bad weather, temperature, etc., hostile actions from human adversaries such as the exchange of gunfire, etc. However, readily apparent hazards often may lead to, and in some instances may distract from, other hazardous circumstances that can arise unexpectedly. Unforeseen collateral events can act as a catalyst to immediately exacerbate bad situations. Instantaneous reactions can avoid harm and save lives, and conversely, breaks in concentration can result in injury or even death for not only those directly involved in the situation, but also to innocent bystanders.
Handling dangerous situations is an everyday experience in some professions. In addition to the military, other examples may include civil servants such as policemen, firemen, search and rescue, border patrol officers, etc. These professionals are constantly put in jeopardy by the scenarios they face on a daily basis. The safety of these people, and possibly also of the teams in which they operate, may depend on each team member maintaining focus so that they may be able to react to both expected hazards and unexpected threats. Loss of focus may result in simple mistakes such as a person misjudging surrounding terrain. However, even a simple error can be costly. For example, the loss of formation due to personnel inadvertently tripping over a rock may result in a more serious situation such as the exposure of a military unit's flank to enemy fire, the need to rescue a fallen comrade from a condition that puts both the rescuer and the rescued in harm's way, unnecessary commotion that delays an urgent rescue operation, etc.
Even some tools that are meant to be beneficial in precarious situations can end up being dangerous distractions. For example, rescue equipment, if not able to be operated in a manner that allows focus to be maintained on the situation at hand, can create a loss of focus that places one or both of the operator and the person being rescued in jeopardy. For example, hand-held location or detection apparatuses may present issues because a person's hands are no longer free to hold more essential equipment. The same problem exists with equipment that requires a user to place focus on the apparatus itself during configuration. The requirement to move focus from the environment to the apparatus may subject the operator to peril in that they may not be aware of unforeseen circumstances that arise, and may not become aware of these circumstances until too late. Moreover, apparatuses that require users to physically reconfigure the object when not in use (e.g., so as not to be an obstruction) may prove to be more of a burden than a benefit.